Bivalvia |
Venerida |
Veneridae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 55 m (Ref. 104365). Tropical; 36°N - 23°N, 98°W - 74°W
Western Central Atlantic: North Carolina to Texas, USA and Mexico.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm Max length : 15.0 cm DL male/unsexed; (Ref. 83435); common length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 344)
Shell elongate, ovate. Surface glossy. Sculpture almost completely absent, except for weak growth lines and radial riblets. Lunule oval. Long external ligament. Colour: salmon to greyish purple, with darker, brownish radial bands; lunule purplish.
Fisheries: Commercial production ceased in Florida in 1973. Lives in sandy bottoms (Ref. 344). Suspension/ filter feeder (Ref. 104247). In general, suspension feeding bivalves mainly depend on phytoplankton and detritus material for nutrition (Ref. 107088).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Bivalvia are mostly gonochoric, some are protandric hermaphrodites. Life cycle: Embryos develop into free-swimming trocophore larvae, succeeded by the bivalve veliger, resembling a miniature clam.
Leal, J.H. 2003 Bivalves. p. 25-98. In Carpenter, K.E. (ed.). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 1: Introduction, molluscs, crustaceans, hagfishes, sharks, batoid fishes, and chimaeras. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. 1600p. (Ref. 344)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
| FishSource | Sea Around Us
Tools
More information
Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae PhysiologyOxygen consumption
Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 23.1 - 26.2, mean 24.1 (based on 134 cells).
Fishing Vulnerability
Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
